By
Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA
Takoradi, July 15, GNA – Mr Anthony K.K. Sam,
the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, says building trust in
regional and public administration is indispensable in achieving participatory
governance.
This, he said, seeks to integrate the needs of
the governed in projects that translate into holistic development.
He said providing the instruments to improve
transparency, good governance and citizen participation is a vital strategy to
foster open governance that allows for sustainable development.
The MCE was speaking during the official launch
of the Co-creation process of the 2018-2020 Open Government Partnership Local
Action Plan which enjoins civil society organizations’ and state actors to work
together to affirm the various commitments to be agreed upon in the areas of
service delivery, participation and accountability among others.
In the Metropolis, Berea Social Foundation,
STMA-Citywide Upgrading Fund and the Friends of the Nation are working together
on the project.
“Such initiatives open new and better
communication channels between governments and citizens, enable local
government to have better information and be more accountable to the needs of
their citizens”.
“They also present an opportunity for
citizens to have the tools and information necessary to play a more active role
in building their own development”.
He said the selection of the STMA as a member
of the OGP came with political, economic and social benefits for the Metropolis
and the country at large adding “these benefits correspond with government
agenda of democracy and development”.
It also presents Ghana to the international
community as a country committed to shine in the tenets of democracy-open and
transparent governance.
The MCE said the government had taken steps to
be more accountable to the governed through the town hall meetings,
meet-the-press series to disseminate government policies and programmes and
also render account as well as solicit for feedback.
“I am happy to inform you that with support
from the OGP Multi Donor Trust Fund through the World Bank, STMA together with some NGOs would assist the STMA
in co-creating a new action plan that is more transformative and responsive to
citizens’ needs and aspirations”, he added.
Mr Donkris Mevuta, the Executive Director of
Friends of the nation and lead Consultant on the OGP in the STMA, said
empowering citizens to play an effective role in the governance process was the
way to strengthen democratic gains.
“We indeed have to be citizens and not
spectators…engaging effectively in the governance process for resilient
societies”.
Mr Isaac Aidoo, the STMA Focal Person on the
OGP, gave an overview of the OGP partnership and STMAs’ participation and
Review of the 2017 OGP sub-National Action plan of the STMA.
He said last year, the commitment areas were:
public service delivery: security and sanitation fiscal transparency and public
participation but the 2018-2020 may have more thematic areas to work with.
He said co-creation process for the new action
plan development would end in August 2018 and the implementation commenced in
September this year to 2020.
The new action plan would focus on beneficial
ownership, open contracting, climate change and the creation of civic space
that would be explored.
Mr Aidoo stated that the objectives of the
co-creation was to develop participatory OGP Local Action Plan, build on the
capacity of existing OGP multi-stakeholder forum on social accountability,
increase awareness and chart a new pathway for project sustainability.
Various activities would also be undertaken to
increase awareness on issues relating to the OGP, to whip up citizens interest
in the local action plan to generate feedback on the expectation from citizens
to formulate commitments in the Local Action Plan.
GNA